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Abstract

Based on previous studies that have shown the competitive nature of non-pathogenic environmental strains of Vibrio, we hypothesize that environmentally derived bacteria can inhibit Vibrio pathogens, and possibly be a source of novel antibiotics. A previous experiment performed in the lab tested environmental Vibrio strains from various habitats against the pathogenic strains, Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Of the 3,456 strains collected, members of the Wildschutte lab identified 102 environmental strains of Vibrio that inhibited the growth of both pathogens. The data suggests that environmental Vibrio strains directly inhibit the growth of related pathogens. Our project involves the identification of genes responsible for producing secondary metabolites in order to discover potential novel antibiotics. To accomplish this task, all 102 strains will be screened for their ability to undergo conjugation and transposon mutagenesis. Candidates efficient in these processes will be subjected to a large scale mutant hunt to identify genes involved in antibiotic production.